to talk out of one's ass
3
9.9
- idiom
- Offensive
:
hablar mierda
- You're talking out of your ass, Dustin.
Examples
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Obviously I haven't seen everything I'll be talking about, but that's kind of what the internet is all about—talking out of your ass.
Blog text (15) -
He was asked for a citation not because people couldn't look it up if they wanted, but because it was clear he was talking out of his ass.
Blog text (15) -
Stop talking out of your ass and get to the facts.
Blog text (28) -
Do you know something about Indonesia specifically, or are you talking out of your ass?
Blog text (14) -
He's just talking out of his ass.
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Once again, you're talking out of your ass.
Blog text (6) -
You are talking out of your ass, Mosher.
Blog text (29) -
He's always talking out of his ass about topics he knows nothing about.
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When she started discussing the economy, I realized she was just talking out of her ass.
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You shouldn't talk out of your ass unless you have facts to back up your claims.
Synonyms
1
9.9
To say things without knowing the facts or that are not true
1
9.6
To try to trick someone by saying things that are not true
To say nonsense or unimportant things to avoid giving a clear answer
To say false or exaggerated things to make others believe you
Talk for a long time saying things that are not true or silly
How Credible
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal parts ('talk' + 'out of' + 'ass') create a crude metaphor that signals insulting or nonsensical speech, so a learner who knows the words will likely guess it criticizes someone's speaking. However, the exact sense (that the speaker is speaking nonsense or pretending to know) depends on idiomatic and pragmatic/vulgar knowledge rather than straightforward composition, so it is not fully predictable.
Etymology
Talk out of one's ass may come from a shocking image: imagine someone speaking from their ass, so the words feel silly, wrong, or made up. That's why it means 'to speak nonsense' or 'pretend to know something'.